British Broadcasting CorporationDuring her final practice in Paris last week, Palestinian-American swimmer Valerie Tarazi reflected on her moment of inspiration: watching the legendary Michael Phelps in 2008 Phelps won eight gold medals in Beijing.
“It was like the first time I said, ‘Oh my God, I want to be an Olympian,'” she said.
Paris is a place where dreams come true and for countless athletes, it’s the opportunity to be on the biggest stage in sport. But after more than nine months of Gaza war that has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, Tarazi said her participation was also an act of remembrance.
“This is my tribute to them,” she said.
Tarazi, the child of a large Palestinian diaspora who was born and raised in the United States, will compete in the 200m individual medley next Friday. But she celebrates her connection to one of Gaza’s oldest Christian families.
She said four members of her extended family were killed when a church was hit during heavy Israeli bombing in December.
“This is taking a toll on us,” she said of the rising death toll in Gaza, which now stands at nearly 40,000.
“This is our friends, our family, our teammates or national team members,” she said.
The International Olympic Committee has recognized the state of Palestine since 1995.
Despite her grueling training schedule and the sacrifices required to compete at this level, Tarazi is acutely aware that she is in a uniquely privileged position, with the opportunity to fly the flag at the world’s greatest sporting event.
“My little pain is absolutely nothing compared to what they go through every day,” she said of her compatriots back home.
One of her less fortunate teammates, Tamer Qaoud, struggled to maintain his sporting ambitions.
His house in Gaza has been destroyed. During the war, he and his family were forced to move twice. They now live in a tent in Deir al-Balah in the middle of the Gaza Strip.
“My dream is to go to the Olympics,” he told the BBC this week.
“Unfortunately, due to the war and the situation, we cannot leave Gaza.”
Kawood is a 1,500-meter runner who has represented the national team twice.
A year ago, at the Arab Games in Algiers, he put on running spikes for the first time. It was also his first time running on anything other than concrete.
In September, he participated in the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China with the Talazi team.
They were still there when the war in Gaza broke out in early October. Kawood said he had to go home.
His best time was well beyond Olympic qualifying standards, but any slim chance he had of competing in Paris, even with a wild card, quickly disappeared.
“I want to compete against the best athletes in the world, like Jakob,” he said, referring to current men’s 1,500-meter world champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
“I want to run with him and feel what it’s like to compete against the best in the world.”
Amid the tents, dust and date palms of Deir el-Balah, he still trains in his white Palestinian uniform as a small group of bewildered children look on.
His former training ground, Gaza City’s Yarmouk Stadium, is now a dump filled with rubbish and displaced Palestinian families seeking shelter in the stands.
His coach, Bilal Abu Samaan, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in December, adding to an estimated 182 players and sports officials killed since October, according to the Palestinian Football Association. one.
Kawood knew his time had not yet come. Unless he can leave Gaza, which he fears he never will.
“The war destroyed everything and shattered our dreams,” he said.
“I hope to leave Gaza, attend a training camp, regain my old strength, and come back stronger than before.”
Back in the pool in Paris, another Palestinian swimmer, Yazan al-Bawwab, said he was proud to be an ambassador for a place where just participating in sport can be challenging.
“We don’t have swimming pools in Palestine,” he said. “We don’t have the infrastructure.”
Like Tarazi, Bawab was born and raised abroad, but he wears his uniform and identity with fierce pride.
“France does not recognize Palestine as a state,” Bawab said defiantly, repeating the phrase for emphasis.
“Here I am, raising the flag.”
